In an entertaining coincidence, Naughty Dog, the developer who once included a nude code in their 1991 game, Rings of Power, is now apologizing for complaints that the studio included working phone sex line numbers in The Last of Us. The fan-favorite game developer is taking a break from relishing in critical praise (read our review of The Last of Us) and exploring sequel ideas, to address allegations Naughty Dog overlooked a pair of telephone numbers – hidden among the numerous photos, billboards, paper headlines, and other environmental details which help sell the title’s post-apocalytpic setting – that, when called, connected curious players to working phone sex operators.

Planting inappropriate easter eggs in unsuspecting pop-culture mediums dates back decades – with classic Walt Disney Animation Studios feature films serving as a prominent example. As a result, it wasn’t unrealistic to assume that a Naughty Dog artist might have intentionally included the numbers. However, the studio maintains that their inclusion was nothing more than an “honest mistake” and offered a step-by-step breakdown of what caused the slip up.

Speaking with Kotaku, The Last of Us creative director, Neil Druckmann, addressed the situation:

That was an artist’s mistake. What happened was, they put some phone numbers in the game and then they thought they could just change the area code to 555, then it’s invalid because it’s what they do in movies. But I guess that doesn’t work when you have a 1-800 in front of it.

While Druckmann mistakenly uses the term “area code” for the 555 “prefix,” semantics aside, his explanation is sound. Not all numbers with a 555 prefix are fictitious – and only a certain range of 555 numbers are not dialable. Meaning: moviemakers, novel writers, video game developers, or anyone else attempting to put a telephone number in a fictional work can’t simply throw a 555 in front of four numbers (i.e. 555-xxxx) and assume that callers will not reach someone (possibly a phone sex operator) on the other end. It’s a common misconception but one with potentially embarrassing consequences – as many Naughty Dog employees now know.

It goes without saying that readers should not attempt to call these particular 555 numbers, but you can find them on a bulletin board posting for “ABC Pest Removal “in the Pittsburgh chapter of the game or simply check out the screen grab below.

That said, anyone who wants to see the infamous listing in-game with their own eyes should probably hurry – since Druckmann has pledged that Naughty Dog will remove the controversial flier in an upcoming patch:

“We’re now working to take it out. It was just an honest mistake.”

Given the amount of people that assume 555 numbers are all fictional, it’s easy to imagine the situation was truly an honest mistake – albeit an unintentionally funny one.

Of course, there were plenty of easter eggs that Naughty Dog did intend to include in The Last of Us. There are certainly more to be discovered, but check out the video below for some of the best ones uncovered so far – including the casting of Justin Bieber as Nathan Drake in the Uncharted movie.

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The Last of Us is available now, exclusively for the PS3.

Follow me on Twitter @benkendrick for more on The Last of Us as well as future movie, TV, and gaming news.